TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. When Dolly Parton died, she left behind a vast body of work, scores of albums and hit singles that now document her half century of music making in country, folk, pop and Bluegrass. Our rock critic Ken Tucker has chosen three of Parton's performances that he says demonstrate her range and her unique takes on romance and heartbreak.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TOUCH YOUR WOMAN")
DOLLY PARTON: (Singing) We can't always both be right. We sometimes disagree. But you've got the right to speak your mind. And it's the same with me. When the anger's at an end and you want inside my arms again, all you have to do to make it right is just touch your woman, touch your woman. Everything's gonna be all right. Touch your woman, touch...
KEN TUCKER, BYLINE: The death of Dolly Parton continues to reverberate. And I hope as people continue to feel her loss, that more of Parton's music is uncovered, rediscovered and heard by many for the first time. Because Dolly was a heck of a lot more than "I Will Always Love You" and "Coat Of Many Colors." Her voice and her image were so powerful that they frequently obscured the subtlety of her writing. So does the sheer amount of music she created. With all that in mind, I've chosen three Dolly Parton performances I love and that illustrate different aspects of her achievement.
The first is from 1969, a song she wrote called "Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind." It's a breakup balllad, but it comes at its subject from a typically original angle. In the lyric, Dolly hasn't actually broken up with the guy yet. Instead, she senses that he wants to, but maybe hasn't worked up the nerve or doesn't want to hurt her feelings. She tells him she's not so sure about him either, and she'd rather they separate than continue a lukewarm relationship. It's the prettiest kiss-off song you'll ever hear.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T LET IT TROUBLE YOUR MIND")
PARTON: (Singing) Our love affair is bitter sweet, insecure and incomplete, and I've often wondered why your leaving's been so long delayed. It's all become so complicated. Maybe you feel obligated and out of sympathy for me, you stay. But I had rather live alone than live with someone who doesn't love me. And I'd rather have you go than stay and put me down by thinking you're above me. Our love affair is so wound up it's best that we unwind. And if you don't love me, leave me and don't let it trouble your mind. You've waited much too long to leave...
TUCKER: It's also worth noting that Rhiannon Giddens recorded a wonderful version of that song on her debut album in 2015.
The second song I want to play is one of the many duets Parton recorded with Porter Wagoner in the late '60s and early '70s. When they met, he was a big star. She was young and looking for a break, and he would introduce her on his TV show as Miss Dolly. As duet partners, they were different from the other great male-female duo of that period, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Those two were married, singing about restlessness and adultery.
With Porter and Dolly, it was an employer singing with an employee, a mentor with his mentee. Harmonizing with the older man sharpened Dolly's debate skills. His songwriting helped her develop counterarguments to male complaints about women. Soon, it was a series of musical quarrels between equals, with the student surpassing the professor in skill and life knowledge.
All this was frequently expressed in a humorous way, as in the rowdy novelty song called "Run That By Me One More Time." You can hear Dolly run rings around Porter Wagoner in her performance here. She's loose and funny and way more expressive than he is. He ends up playing the straight man to her comedic energy.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN THAT BY ME ONE MORE TIME")
PARTON: (Singing) Well, you're late again, I see. What's your excuse this time? Don't try to kiss and make up when you smell so strong from wine.
PORTER WAGONER: (Singing) Well, I'm not late. The clock is wrong. You need to wind Big Ben. Honey, that's not wine you smell, that's aftershave for men.
PARTON: Would you run that by me one more time?
DOLLY PARTON AND PORTER WAGONER: (Singing) Run that by me one more time to make sure that I heard you right. I hope you don't expect me to believe that lie.
PARTON: (Singing) I might be crazy, but I ain't dumb, and I know a lie when I hear one.
PARTON AND WAGONER: (Singing) Would you run that by me one more time?
TUCKER: The last song I want to play is one of Parton's best story songs but one that is now little known. It's called "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy" from 1969. Its plot could easily comprise an entire novel. A young woman from Virginia follows her ambition to New Orleans, breaking the heart of the callow young man she was dating back home. She's frustrated in her efforts and exploited, reduced to prostitution and now dreams of the boy she left behind, knowing that he's moved on from her. It's classic Dolly Parton, who was always proving that you can be sentimental without being mawkish, softhearted without being softheaded.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MY BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN BOY")
PARTON: (Singing) I was just a little past 18 when I came to New Orleans. I'd never been beyond my home state line. There was a boy who loved me dearly. But I broke his heart severely when I left my Blue Ridge mountain boy.
TUCKER: I could have chosen three completely different first-rate Dolly compositions. Indeed, I could have done three songs a week here and not run out of material for years. If you want to keep Dolly Parton's memory alive in your life, you've got a treasure trove of unfamiliar, perennially fresh music to keep reminding you of her forever.
GROSS: Ken Tucker is FRESH AIR's rock critic.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIGHT OF A CLEAR BLUE MORNING")
PARTON: (Singing) It's been long, dark night. And I've been waitin' for the mornin'.
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(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIGHT OF A CLEAR BLUE MORNING")
PARTON: (Singing) I can see the light of a clear blue morning. Oh, and everything's gonna be all right. It's gonna be OK. It's been a long, long time since I've known the taste of freedom. Those clinging vines that had me bound, well, I don't need 'em. Oh, I've been like a captured eagle. You know an eagle is born to fly. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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